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February 22, 2017

If I could get away with putting a spread of botanicals on every wall in our house, I would. In fact, I almost have : ) This image is in our hearth room, a spot that I like to update each season with fresh botanical prints. I'm going to have a hard time replacing these, though, as they've become a favorite.

I recently found a new spot to display a botanical collection in our powder room. These are 8x10" frames with 5x7" prints. They were the perfect addition to the bathroom... even though it was very difficult to get a great shot of them.

February 21, 2017

I use Sheet Pans, $8, for everything - roasting everything from vegetables to chicken breasts, and baking cookies (obvi.) and scones. Sometimes I even make an entire dinner on one sheet pan. This is the easiest and healthiest dinners around - piles of vegetables, filets of fish, squeezes of lemon, sea salt and a drizzle of a simple chive, garlic, lemon and olive oil mixture. Everything is layered onto a sheet pan, and then it roasts in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. A delicious sauce accumulates in the bottom of the pan to pour over when serving. So yummy, fresh and easy.

I took these photos at dinner time, so the lighting is not great, but you'll get the point : )

I used red potatoes, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and radishes. Red onion or scallions would have been great additions.

I used Mahi Mahi from Trader Joes - I've been keeping my freezer stocked for nights I don't want to go to the store. I just put it in a bowl with cool water to defrost.

Layer the fish filets directly over the vegetables. Then drizzle over lemon, chive, garlic and oil mixture. Season generously with sea salt.

Ready for the oven.

After 25 minutes, the fish is perfectly cooked and the potatoes are tender.

Notice only two pieces of fish - Emma was not interested, though she did try a couple of bites. She had the vegetables and leftover mac and cheese... : )

Plated up.

I put 1 tablespoon of cream + a splash of white wine in the pan to loosen everything up and stirred around with a spatula.

Pile vegetables on a large sheet pan, $8. Generously season fish with salt. Place pieces of fish on top. Stir together oil, lemon juice, garlic and chives. Drizzle fish and veggies with lemon mixture. Place butter pieces around the pan.

Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees until fish is fully cooked.

Plate veggies and fish. Add cream and wine to the pan to make sauce. Pour over fish.

Another version of this is the Lemon Roasted Salmon & Vegetables. It is the same idea, just different veggies and different fish. This would also be great using chicken.

February 20, 2017

I love spring cleaning. I'm sure that sounds nutty, but I do. Remember when we moved out of our house for our new addition? I said, "I love packing." And again when we moved back in, I said, "I love moving and unpacking." It is all in the same vein for me - that fresh start, new project feeling. Cleaning up and cleaning out. I just love the feeling I get of physically working and cleaning, not to mention the lightness it brings to our house.

Our home works very hard for us - entertaining, family time, play dates, nightly dinners, big and little holidays - so keeping it in good order helps us to live fully. We've all had those issues in our home that make us feel like "we can't have anyone over until..." or "we can't enjoy the backyard until..." I never want any of those reasons to keep us from fully living and enjoying - having friends for dinner, family time in the backyard, relaxing on the porch with wine in the evening, coffee in the morning, and our time in the kitchen. If your home is not serving your life in a productive and positive way, it will make you feel so much better to take some time to tackle those "if, only, when" barriers.

You can download all of the spring worksheets here. I have blank sheets, as well my own list, in case you need inspiration. They are in PDF, Excel,Numbers and JPeg formats.

I am the first to admit, I'm not great at keeping things neat and tidy all of the time on a daily (hourly?) basis (at all), so having this regular re-organize and deep-clean schedule keeps everything relatively nice feeling... even with my day-to-day messes. For this spring, I made a list of the spots in our home that need the most attention. Most of these items need to happen every season - which keeps it manageable. I also make sure I have "fun" projects, too, like adding fresh pillows and throws. As you can see, I did the "fun" thing first - only thing checked off so far! Normally, I would wait until everything else was checked off, but those pillows from the spring collection were too good to resist.

The first item on my Inside list is the Freezer and Refrigerator. I have been meaning to do this since January. Oops! I'll be doing that today and stocking it with healthy options fresh for spring (like favorite smoothie ingredients... and frozen cookie dough). I'll walk you through everything that I'll keep stocked next week.

Here is the freezer inventory list I made to keep on the inside of my cabinet. I always forget what I have in there! I used to do this when we lived in Concord when Emma was a baby since we relied on the freezer so much. I would be stumped for a dinner idea, then go to this list and remember that I had frozen parmesan chicken or soup in the freezer. Every year we get a freezer full of beef from my family's farm. This list will help me remember that I have 2 briskets, 8 ribeyes, 20 packs of hamburger and 3 chuck roasts still in the freezer. I'll be implementing this again this spring.

I am so glad it is time to get our hands in the dirt again. Since I end up working at my computer for a big chunk of the day, I really look forward to nice weather so Emma and I can spend our after school time in the backyard. We've done the cleaning out, now the fun starts with mulch, seeding and some little gardens we're planning. I'll share more details on those in the next week.

We woke up to our first daffodils blooming this morning - so fun! Emma thought it was Easter : ) I'll do a little pre-spring garden tour later, too. Gosh, I've made quite a list for myself... hopefully I'll get to checking off everything.

February 17, 2017

As I sit here this morning with the back door wide open, it feels like spring is already officially here. Yesterday's warm afternoon sun made me itch for cleaner, fresher everything. As always, I yearn for simplifying and adding more open space to our home and our routine. I'm ready for afternoons in the backyard, long walks and fresh dinners. I want clean tabletops and cupboards, and freshened, clutter free spaces with essentials only. Essentials including big pitchers of blooming branches and blooms, of course.

Why is it so hard to find simple things? Every market bag I see is cluttered with too many logos, colors, "funny" sayings and brands. I'm keeping a set of these in my car for groceries, but I've also found that they are useful for so many things - transporting food for a party, toting Emma's things in the car, dropping off a meal for a new mom, and a handy place to stash things (like gloves, hats, socks...?) when hanging on a mudroom peg.

The perfect accessory is the Market Tablet to keep your list in order.

My favorite Wreath Tablets in my favorite Pshades. The new tablets come in a Tall and Small size. I keep the Tall at home by my desk and in my kitchen. The Small size is perfect for tucking in my purse, and keeping by my bedside. Since the tablets are made with cardstock, they are also perfect for a little note.